A Brief Overview of the History of Special Education Law in the U.S.

By ajwils22

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    This court case illegalized racial segregation in U.S. schools. Parents of students with disabilities then began bringing lawsuits against their school districts on the basis of disability discrimination Link text.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    At its debut, this act was intended to give disadvantaged students access to quality education. In 1966, the act was amended to establish a grant program that would initiate development of educational programs for students with disabilities Link text.

  • Pennsylvania Assn. for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC)

    This case addressed the exclusion of students with mental retardation from public schools. It ruled that educational placement decisions must include parental participation and have a means to resolve issues Link text.

  • Congressional Investigation of Special Education

    PARC and Mills compelled Congress to turn their eyes to the number of students with disabilities who were not receiving an appropriate education. In 1972, legislation was introduced that would eventually become PL 94-142. Link text

  • Vocational Rehabilitation Act & Section 504

    This act "prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities in terms of federal funding" Link text. Section 504 protects students with specific disabilities like ADD/ADHD, allergies, eating disorders, and past drug addiction, among others (A Teacher's Guide to Special Education).

  • Public Law 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

    "Initially, [PL 94-142] focused on ensuring that children with disabilities had access to an education and due process of law. Congress included an elaborate system of legal checks and balances called 'procedural safeguards' that are designed to protect the rights of children and their parents"
    [Link text].(https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm)

  • Mom's High School Graduation Year

  • Mom & Dad's Wedding Day

  • Release of "Sleepless in Seattle"

  • IDEA Compliance Report

    Data collected by the National Council on Disability "concluded that 'federal efforts to enforce the law over several administrations have been inconsistent, ineffective and lacking any real teeth . . .'". Among the data, "45 states failed to ensure that local school authorities adhered to nondiscrimination laws" Link text.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was renamed in 1990 and most recently reauthorized in 2004. It is the main law governing many of the ins-and-outs of special education; its eight core principles are child find/zero reject, nondiscriminatory evaluation, individualized education program (IEP), free appropriate public education (FAPE), least restrictive environment (LRE), related services, parent participation, and confidentiality (A Teacher's Guide to Special Education).

  • Release of "X&Y" album by Coldplay

  • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

    ESSA is the most recent revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It scraps some of the accountability guidelines of the former ESEA, which was the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, passed in 2001 Link text.